> I can't wait to hear what other women on the site have been
> noticing!
>
>For my 15 year old it is not completely consistent >>(neither is she),
>but usually is an additional 0.1 u/hr days and 0.2u/hr
>nights.
Even the 31 year old hormonal fluctuations on the list aren't necessarily
consistent! *lol* Some months my basal rate needs are higher than
others.... but for me "higher" only means I need an additional .1 or .2
during my pre-dawn hours, about a week to ten days prior to the start of my
cycle. It still amazes me how big a difference a tenth of a unit in a basal
rate can make! What I do is, as I begin to see a rise in fasting blood
sugars, correlated with "that time of the month".. I add a tenth of a unit
to my pre-dawn basal rate... and additional .1 increases as needed until my
fasting are back to target (which for me is 80 - 100mg/dl). Rarely are my
"during the day" basal rates affected. I find it much easier to change the
basal rate & be pro-active about avoiding the morning highs than to bolus
down. Interestingly, if I do not change my rates to compensate, then I will
see increases in fasting numbers that look like this: 96 - 150 - 230 - 290 -
even as high as 303! But a simple .1 or .2 units per hr change controls
that. Wow. No wonder I could never do that with MDI!
I *do* however, immediately drop my rates back to "pre" levels on the very
day that my cycle begins... if not, I would be & have been caught with a
dawn hypo. In fact, I actually have to decrease all 24 hrs rates, but
especially midnight - 4am to avoid lows for about a week immediately after
the start of my cycle. "It's not science, it's ART(!)", ladies.... *lol*
The FAQ on this topic (as with all the others!) is fantastic. Just
remember, it may not necessarily be the "same" from one month to the next...
but pumping certainly allows you to adapt much easier than ever before. As
always, your mileage may vary - but with a pump, the mileage is enjoyable!
:)
Delaine M. Wright, MS, CDE
Pumping since Nov. 97
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